Last week, Gov. Kathy Hochul angered many New Yorkers by saying Republicans like gubernatorial nominee Rep. Lee Zeldin should just leave the state and head to Florida.
“We are fighting for democracy. We’re fighting to bring government back to the people and out of the hands of dictators,” Hochul said at an evening rally in Kingston.
She was joined by Democratic congressional candidate Pat Ryan, whose Republican opponent, Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro, she called out.
In addition to Molinaro, Hochul brought up Zeldin and former President Donald Trump.
“Trump and Zeldin and Molinaro – just jump on a bus and head down to Florida where you belong. OK?” Hochul said.
“Get out of town. Because you don’t represent our values. You are not New Yorkers,” she continued.
“Wow @KathyHochul. You’re losing your marbles lady. Won’t take you up on your psycho demand to leave New York, but what I will do is get in my car right now, drive to NY-19, & do everything in my power to make sure @marcmolinaro wins tomorrow’s Special Election,” Zeldin tweeted that night.
“New York has a Governor who believes that if you disagree with her you are no longer a New Yorker and need to leave the state. Just think about how absolutely nuts that is. Kathy Hochul’s Gotta Go!” he said a few days after Hochul’s comments.
Ryan, the Ulster County executive, led Molinaro with 51 percent of the vote, allowing him to win the special election.
“Choice was on the ballot,” Ryan said. “Freedom was on the ballot, and tonight choice and freedom won. We voted like our democracy was on the line because it is.”
Molinaro, angered by the governor’s remarks, tweeted “Really, @KathyHochul? I’m not a New Yorker!? You sound exactly likely your predecessor. I lost my father in this state, raise my children here and have given every day in service to my community. Disagree with your corrupted government, and we are not New Yorkers? #Shameful.”
New York has lost 1.5 million residents in the past decade, reported the New York Post.
Between July, 2020 and July, 2021, over 350,000 New Yorkers relocated to other states.
In 2021, a total of 61,728 New York state residents moved to Florida.
New York is not the only state losing residents to Florida. California has increasingly seen people moving to the Sunshine State.
According to the South Florida Business Journal, more than 18,000 California residents moved to Florida in 2019 and over 17,000 did in 2020.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis responded to Hochul’s comments, saying “Who would say something so ridiculous? To say if you don’t agree with me then you don’t even have a right to be here.”
